Tag Archives: readingresponse

Week 7: The Little Mermaid

Posted on by
1

Reading The Little Mermaid this week for the very first time was a real jaw dropper. Growing up this was one of if not the only Disney movie that I would constantly watch on replay and eventually became my favorite movie ever, so to wrap my head around this story for the first time is difficult. Noticing how the story I read and what I know of the movie stayed consistent for the most part, there was a dramatic change in the endings to both story and movie. There was no happily ever after in the original story, but instead there was an ultimatum for the little mermaid to either prioritize and pick herself or to continue to prioritize a man whom she did not know.

There was a point in the story in which really resonated with me as it reflects the idea of today’s society. The moment in which the grandmother had told her that “Our souls are not immortal.” (page 117) and then proceeds to describe the only way in which to obtain a soul is by making sure a man was fully committed to you but also only deeply in love with you is very hard to believe. This section to me made me truly realize that even in stories involving mermaids and the sea, men still found a way to have some sort of control over females and mermaids. The little mermaid went to an extreme extent to be with a man who did not know her but also that she was not certain that would love her, just to ultimately take that risk for him. At the end of the story in which she is given a final chance to pick herself over the prince, she still does not do so as she still puts him over herself even though he was already married to someone else at this point. This idea goes back to last week’s discussion as how it is perceived that women cannot be complete without a man. There is a saying that goes around and is frequently said which is “my life never started until I met you” which I believe applies to the story of The Little Mermaid as she had made it known that she preferred living on land with the prince since it did not compare to living down in the ocean with her family. I believe it also shows in a way how women in toxic relationships can be easily influenced to leave behind what they know, their background, family, and entire lives all for a single man who they have known for not so long. Reflecting on this story and comparing it to the world we live in today, truly puts into perspective that as time goes on, men will still be perceived as having more power and control over women.

Week 6: “Undine and Huldbrand: Love and Nature”

Posted on by
1

For this week’s reading assignment, Undine, the story of a mermaid who categorizes her race as “Undines” has married a knight through the church. The story however takes place the day after the marriage, but something is tugging at Undine’s heart, which I believe is that she wants to come clean to her now husband, Huldbrand. Undine’s story was wholesome from start to finish as it shows a different perspective of what we’ve been seeing throughout the readings assigned. I may be wrong, but I felt this was a heartfelt romantic passage between two beings that though their differences are huge, their love for each other keeps them together. As shown in the passage, I was surprised that Undine came forward to tell Huldbrand the truth about her and where she comes from, “Listen attentively to what I will relate to you…You must know my loved one, that there are beings in the elements which almost appear like mortals, and which rarely allow themselves to become visible to your race.” (Bacchilega & Brown 104) 

Not only has Undine revealed what she is to her husband but to her coming heartbreak also lets Huldbrand know what it is of the Undines once they pass away. “We and our like in the other elements, vanish into dust, pass away, body and spirit so that no vestige of us remains behind; and when you mortals hereafter awake to a purer life, we remain with the sand and the sparks and the wind and waves.” (Bacchilega & Brown 105)  

I enjoyed reading this passage as I could feel the fear Undine felt with her revelation and her husband’s decision after doing so. To this, I feel like Undine represents that part of nature that wants to be known, discovered, and cherished. Nature personified telling us to adore and take care of it with the fear that humans may turn against it. Fortunately for Undine, and also to my happiness, Huldbrand replies to her in the best way he can express his love to her, and she to him, “She was about to say still more, but Huldbrand embraced her with the most heartfelt emotion and love, and bore her back to the shore…he swore amid tears and kisses, never to forsake his sweet wife,…Undine walked back to the cottage, leaning on his arm; feeling now for the first time with all her heart,” (Bacchilega & Brown 106) 

There is no man vs mermaids/nature in this passage, and I’m living for it. It is about a man accepting and truly loving nature and everything that has to do with it, which is Undine. This must be my favorite story from The Penguin Book of Mermaids, so far. 

Week 7 – The Little Mermaid

Posted on by
1

After reading Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little Mermaid” I noticed a huge connection between the human world and the unknown world of the environment. There is a common theme of curiosity present in this story that I have found to connect mermaids to people. This is the first story I have found to paint mermaids in a completely positive light. Andersen describes the little mermaid as lovely and delicate. She is very curious about the unknown which to her is the human world. This connects her to humans immediately as we have been learning through past stories, such as the Siren Story and Melusine, that humans have been curious about exploring the unknown world of creatures like mermaids. The Little Mermaid’s curiosity shows the readers that these unknown creatures are not as different from humans as one might think. The Little Mermaid is desperately awaiting the day she gets to go up to shore and experience part of the human world, similar to humans who have hundreds of tales told about their curiosity about mermaids and other creatures.

The Little Mermaid’s curiosity leads her to take control of her own life as she gets older and becomes more independent. She is just turning 15 when she is allowed to go up to shore. She learns to care for the prince, saving him from death, despite their differences. She does not fear going to help him or what the consequences of that could lead to. This part of the story also contributes to this new way of looking at mermaids in a positive light. “His arms and legs began to feel powerless, his beautiful eyes were closed, and he would have died had not the little mermaid come to his assistance” (115). A creature who has so often been looked at as a “monster” is now being shown as the hero. Rather than gaining power from saving his life, as men would typically do in these types of tales, she just becomes more curious. She acts just like a human girl, becoming completely enthralled with the prince whom she loves so dearly. The love for the prince leads her to take her curiosity to the next level and entwine their souls. She takes the risk of listening to the witch to fulfill her desires. The little mermaid is okay with the fact that she will die if it means she has a chance at love with the prince. Her curiosity took her far and she still ended up gaining an immortal soul because she sacrificed herself instead of the prince.

Week 7: Little Mermaid

Posted on by
Reply

So I read “The Little Mermaid” for the first time, and I was blown away from all of the imagery, to be honest. The way that things get described, like the ocean kingdom, it was very breathtaking. “The soil produces the most curious trees and flowers, whose leaves and stems are so flexible that the slightest motion of the water seems to fluster them as if they were living creatures. Fishes, great and small, glide through the branches as birds fly through the trees here upon earth.”(page one hundred and eight)*

This was what intrigued me, as well, because here we see the connection between human and nature. We can establish here that, at this point, we would imagine merpeople to have a similar sort of world as our own, given how the merpeople have things such as trees and flowers. We see the comparison between them and us, drawing similarities and parallels. Some things are done differently, of course, but when we imagined the merpeople, we imagined them similar to us. Granted, you can say that maybe the trees are different, but we don’t GET any of that. What this is giving is that its giving “they’re more like us”.

Ok then I want to talk about the last bit, where the little mermaid goes to Heaven(?)/ascends after her death. First of all, she’s way better than me. Second of all, the ending felt really weird to me. So she’s told, “You have suffered and endured, and have raised yourself into an aerial spirit, and now your own good works may obtain you an immortal soul after the lapse of three hundred years.” (page one hundred thirty). and THEN she’s also told that her 300 years is contingent on children???? Is this supposed to be like religious propaganda or something? Does this mean that nothing matters???

*my number one key on my laptop is sticky so I had to use the actual word for the numbers.

Week 5: Melusine

Posted on by
1

After going over the scheduled story for this week, Melusine, even though an intriguing tale of Raymond discovering his wife’s secret it also came to me as a representation of how women restrain from being their true selves out of fear of their spouse’s thoughts. Raymond’s reaction to the sensitive secret that his wife has been hiding away from him, to me, is though shocking, also filled with fear not of her but for her. “It was not horror that seized him at the sight, it as infinite anguish at the reflection that through his breach of faith he might lose his lovely wife forever” (Lebey 88) I’ve read my peers responses to this, and I appreciate how we agree and take notice of how much Raymond cares about his wife in comparison to the lack of care for the nautical women in other folk tales. Melusina identifies herself as a woman of God, “I am as faithful a Christian as you are.” (Lebey 25) I will assume that though Melusina practiced Christianity, she’s aware of what her true nature meant to those that aren’t like her, which is why she keeps it out of light. This to me represents the darkest desires of women that need to be tied up and put away due to the danger of being categorized as a “monster.” .

Week 6: Freakshows and Fantasies

Posted on by
2

“The Feejee Mermaid Hoax” and “Freakshows and Fantasies” both demonstrate the Western obsession with mermaids and the efforts at “ordering the natural world and its creatures” that continued from the Enlightenment period (Scribner, 129). In Barnum’s autobiography from 1854, he discusses the Feejee Mermaid Hoax, but also outlines a historical account of mermaid sightings and displays. Barnum describes the mermaid as a “fabulous animal”, and yet, continually applies Western beauty standards to the mermaid sightings and displays. He views the mermaid as animal or other, but not enough for them to be free of our judgment.

While almost every recorded mermaid sighting occurred in the British Isles or America, both readings pointed at “the ‘Oriental’ allure of Asia (that) still held sway of the Western masses” (Scribner, 126). In 1758 a mermaid exhibited at the fair of St. Germaine’s in France was described as “female, with ugly negro features. The skin was harsh, the ears very large…” (Penguin, 243). Here, Western beauty standards, and clear racism, is being applied to the mermaid, even though they are viewed as animal or other. However, in London in 1775, a mermaid exhibited was determined to be an “Asiastic mermaid… young female- its eyes a fine light blue- its nose small and handsome- its mouth small- its lips thin- its chin well shaped- its breasts are fair and fall… the belly is round and swelling, but there is no navel…” (Penguin, 243). The mermaid that was suspected to come from the Archipelago seems to meet the Western standard of human beauty.

Also, the detail of the rounded belly lacking a navel points out the ongoing question of how mermaids reproduce. If there is no navel, it must widely differ from the human birthing process. I find it interesting that this detail was included in the 1775 exhibit.

In mermaid sighting and captures from earlier in 1187 and 1430, they both appeared close to human, but were said to not be able to speak, Barnum states “that nothing seem wanting to it (the mermaid) but speech” (Penguin, 242). The mermaids lack of speech seems to be another separating factor between us or other, as well as if the mermaid was even deemed satisfactory.

Week Six: The Fejee Mermaid Hoax

Posted on by
1

This week I decided to focus more on The Fejee Mermaid Hoax (Penguin Book of Mermaids) and it made almost a guide to how I would want to structure my discovery assignment to go. The way in which this one story has let so many other mermaid discoveries come to light was impactful but also made me wonder if there are so many people claiming what they have seen, why would it still be a debate? Throughout the pages we were supposed to read it was giving clear examples from different years and locations in which mermaid sightings took place and somewhat of a description of how exactly it happened. The last paragraph on page 243 in which there is a description of a Asiastic mermaid in London 1775 was able to describe them but in the way they didn’t want the mermaid to look human and even though she had clear human characteristics I felt as if they were almost trying to portray her as ugly so society can still feel fearful and possibly not confide in what was being said? They would describe her characteristics she held which all sounded human but made sure to incorporate her fishlike features just like “It’s ears are like those of the eel, but placed like those of human species,..” (page 243) which was strange because if they were originally being described as creatures who are human from the waist up and fish from the bottom down, how is it that these features are able to mix together if there has been a divide in their physical traits?

One of the important questions that resonated with me was the way in which there were connections between different species of animals which led to the question of, “…why may we not supposed that there is also a connecting link between fish and the human species?” (page 241). This was the point that made me even question and realize the similarities between so many animals and why is it that I couldn’t make those connections between humans and mermaids? My entire life the only mermaid figure I knew and loved was Ariel from The Little Mermaid but the Disney version which I don’t think truly represents the entire mermaid culture from what I have learned from this course. Knowing the picture of Ariel I have always had in my head and us as humans I was never able to piece how we are both similar in many ways because I felt an important point I learned as a kid through this movie was almost to fear the ocean since mermaids or other creatures that appeared from this movie live there and can cause problems, which almost delayed my realization that humans and mermaids are more connected to each other than society cares to acknowledge. This one section has sparked my interest to truly find or hopefully find any sort of bigger connections that human and mermaids but also the ocean have in common with each other, or even how it forms a cycle between each other.

Week 6: Undine

Posted on by
1

Right off the bat I can see the similarities between Undine and Melusina: two water spirits/mermaidesque creatures who get married to mortal, human men and then eventually reveal their true selves. But it deviates because Undine willingly revealed it to her husband, whatever his name was (Huldbrand?) after they had gotten married. There’s still that strong element of The Other infiltrating (through the dreams): “Wonderful and horrible dreams had disturbed Huldbrand’s rest; he had been haunted by spectres, who, grinning at him by stealth, had tried to disguise themselves as beautiful women, and from beautiful women they all at once assumed the faces of dragons….” (102)

This could be some sort of premonition, but also to me it reflects the fear the patriarchy has with women who are also pretty. Thats a very surface level interpretation, I know. At the same time, I think it’s also a reflection of how people are afraid of their true selves, or the true selves of other people. That there is a nasty side, a dangerous side. There’s a huge contrast between these really scary nightmares Huldbrand is having, and then how pretty and dainty and lovely Undine is. It could be a testament to how the true nature of things is something people fear? Coming back to comparing Undine and Melusina, the thing they have in common is this fear of the Other, even when a couple are married. Discovering your wife (because we have only seen stories where the wife is a Creature and not the husband) is not what she seems is a reoccurring thing.

Also side note: very interesting seeing this story and having played Undertale becuase there is an NPC called Undyne who is a fish monster (could you call her a merperson?) who is the literal opposite of how Undine is described in her folklore. Interesting to see how meanings deviate or how people take inspiration from old things and make them into new things.

Week 4: Water Beings and Betrayal

Posted on by
Reply

In the readings assigned for week four, I couldn’t help but notice the reoccurring themes of betrayal of the female gender. Starting with the myth of Sedna, the Sea Goddess of the Innuit. Even though the logic behind the creation of a sea goddess and its creatures out of two cold murders committed by the same man who is the father of Sedna doesn’t make that much sense to me or why she would help men after being betrayed and lied to by the two most important ones in her human life. At least she had sort of a happy ending with the help of shamans combing and braiding her hair to appease her. I would also like to add a thought about this story, Sedna’s father threw her off the boat due to thinking the birds wanted her, but let’s be real, the birds were seeking the father’s blood. This could be a representation of the male gender in history always assuming that when consequences for their actions are catching up or something goes wrong it’s because women had something to do with it, which has resulted in many women having the same fate as Sedna (except turning into a sea goddess).

In the story of Kaliya the Snake, he is introduced as an inferior power of Krishna who is filled with rage, why is this? Further into the story, it is revealed that Kaliya resides in a section of a river that is causing diseases to those that need water after being defeated by Krishna and kicked out of his anterior residence, the ocean. After another humiliating defeat to Krishna, Kaliya and his wives beg for his life, “The race of snakes into which I was born is a cruel one; this is its proper nature. But I am not at fault in this matter, Acyuta, for it is you who pour forth and absorb the whole world; classes, forms, and natures have all been assigned by you, the creator…” (Bacchilega & Alohalani 8) Kaliya never had a chance to be portrayed in a good light, since his creation he was doomed to be seen as a monster, because of Krishna’s decision, to me this is another form of betrayal.

Week 3: Mermaids and The Unknown

Posted on by
Reply

After reading both assigned readings I enjoyed how Cristina Bacchilega and Marie Alohalani introduce mermaids as a species that haven’t been completely understood to its full capacity. Fear of the unknown is the best way to describe Merpeople, in this case, mermaids/sirend and the cautious yet curious feeling towards them, predominantly fear.

However, I find it interesting how the feeling of fear towards mermaids/sirens turned into disgust and hatred. As mentioned in The Penguin Book of Mermaids, prostitutes were referenced to as mermaids due to their sex appeal and seductive powers, which is how mermaids/sirens are represented doing to lead men to their deaths. This “likewise attests to how a woman who oversteps the boundaries of gender propriety has, over centuries, risked being defined as monstrous.” (Bacchilega & Alohalani XIII) Not only the unruly women in land were in danger to be classified as monsters but also those of water that didn’t follow the “norm” of pleasing and obeying men. It baffles me how open men were with their hatred towards women and their need to remind them how much they did, “you live here on earth as the world’s most imperfect creature: the scum of nature…” (Scribner 61) It is unfortunate how a feminine mythical creature was used as a mascot for the defamation of women and lasted throughout all those centuries, yet even though still recent mermaids and sirens have now become an image of feminine empowerment to slowly but surely heal that generational wound.